The new list of “Top Ten Dog Parks in the USA” from PetVR.com includes my local off-leash area at Warren G. Magnuson Dog Park in Seattle. Frankly, I was surprised. We are so frequently overshadowed by the much larger, more pastoral dog park at Marymoor across Lake Washington, I usually end up defensive when I read these lists. Now, I’m just curious. I love my park and feel pride about making the grade, but I do wonder about the criteria. There is a one-acre park on this list. I’ve never been to the Bea Arthur Dog Park in Norfolk, Va., so I am prepared to stand corrected but that seems pretty small to be among the best in the country. (Also, don't get me wrong, I love Maude!) Do you agree with these selections? Has your go-to park been neglected or earned an accolade it doesn’t deserve?

In other dog park news, Baltimore will open it’s first city-backed dog park this weekend (with four more off-leash areas in the works). According to a post at ohmidog.com (a website created by a former Pulitzer Prize-winning Baltimore Sun reporter), Locust Point Dog Park will feature “a giant dead tree, shaved of its bark and set atop large rocks, stump and all.” I love the sound of that; we know dogs adore perches. Of course, it’s also going to provide an irresistible marking target.